THE idea that the Scarlets would be Welsh rugby’s great Heineken Cup hope would have been unthinkable at the end of last season.

Welsh rugby’s traditional flag bearers in Europe had failed to even qualify under their own steam for the tournament.

But now they are the only Welsh side with any hope of a quarter-final place.

Wind back the clock and the Scarlets had lost their chief executive, failed in their bid to lure Dwayne Peel back home or sign Eifion Lewis Roberts from Sale and John Muggleton, a World Cup winning defence coach with the Wallabies, had returned to Australia.

The financial plight at the Scarlets has been well documented and the silence was deafening at Parc y Scarlets last summer.

But, perhaps, we all misread the lack of activity down west as a sign of a region on its knees when the Scarlets were quietly going about their business beneath the rugby radar.

Now, months later, the Scarlets need to beat Perpignan and other results to go their way to qualify as one of the two runners-up in the last eight of the Heineken Cup.

Ulster, Clermont Auvergne and London Wasps, along with the Scarlets, are all in the mix as the pool stage enters its final round of games.

Nigel Davies’ side may have been beaten by the Leicester Tigers at Parc y Scarlets last weekend, but nobody could question the attitude and commitment of the Scarlets.

They played for each other, the famous jersey they wore, their side’s tradition in Europe and the community they represent.

“I’m still very pleased with the way everything’s going here,” said coach Davies.

“We gave Leicester a game for 60 minutes, we’re second in the league and we’ve still got an opportunity in the Heineken Cup, so we’ve got it all to play for.

“We’ll throw everything at Perpignan to win it. We’ll lick our wounds in the next couple of days and then we’ll come back strong.”

But is all that really possible?

The Scarlets looked out on their feet, both mentally and physically, after the 32-18 defeat to the Tigers.

Facing Perpignan in the Bullring is a daunting prospect for any side, let alone one still finding its feet in Europe.

Davies has his work cut out to lift his side one more time on Sunday. But what has happened and what were the seeds of a recovery which has impressed everyone?

There was a return to the Scarlets’ old ‘boot room’ policy with the appointments of a new coaching team of Simon Easterby, Mark Jones and Robin McBryde below Davies.

Those very appointments raised accusations of ‘jobs for the boys’ but they have been the bedrock of a renewed focus and spirit down west.

All three of Davies’ backroom staff are Scarlets through and through, they live and breathe the place. But Davies, in particular, deserves much praise for what has happened.

He hasn’t bemoaned his lack of a budget or a shallow squad of players, he has just got on with his job in admirable fashion.

Davies might have endured a miserable time with Wales but he has been forthright and unapologetic about his approach with his beloved Scarlets.

He has refused to compromise and demanded his side play in the Scarlets’ great tradition, turning them into one of the most attractive sides in Europe.

Out of financial necessity, he has taken them back to their roots and the Scarlets have rediscovered themselves in astonishing fashion.

Even Davies must be gobsmacked at the rate of his side’s development so far.

The Scarlets lie second in the Magners League and those last-eight hopes remain.

However, he would admit to being blessed with some luck too.

Pool 5 did include an Italian side but Treviso, as the Scarlets know to their cost, are no mugs.

The loss of three props – Deacon Manu, Peter Richards and Rhys Thomas – has turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the Scarlets were forced to blood Wales Under-20 tighthead prop Simon Gardiner, who has been a revelation in Europe.

He has been the rough diamond on their European sojourn and his brave performance against the Tigers was one of the most inspirational personal displays of the season.

Gardiner walked off the field on Saturday in the 60th minute battered and bruised, having proved himself against the most feared scrummage in English rugby.

How far he wants to go is now down to him. But he has unwittingly proved that Wales is still a country that produces raw rugby talent – it is just a case of discovering it and developing it. The Scarlets have been guilty in the past of scouring the world for rugby mercenaries and ignoring what is on their doorstep. Not any more.

Gareth Jenkins, the former Scarlets and Wales coach, has been charged with pounding the region’s streets looking for young talent and his work has started to bear some real fruit.